It has been recognized that early detection of fires has great merit. The earlier a fire is detected, the earlier the fire department is called, and the earlier the department can start to fight the fire. However, attempts to increase the speed of detection can also run the risk of increasing the number of false positive alarms. So increasing the speed of detection while minimizing false positive alarms, or lowering the level of false positive alarms is very desirable.
Smoke detectors indicate where there is smoke in a region. As smoke spreads away from a fire, only a few of the alarming smoke detectors are near the fire. The faster the location of the actual fire can be located, the faster the fire fighters can mount an attack. It is desirable to be able to differentiate between smoke and fire in a system that is in alarm.
Another problem at fire scenes is that the location of trapped civilians and of fire fighters is often not known. It often is the case that fire fighters are unsure about whether there are trapped civilians in a building. Civilians are usually not issued special safety equipment before an emergency to protect them in an emergency. When in involved buildings, fire fighters are often out of contact with fire commanders due to radio interferences and blind spots.
There this is a continuing need to be able to locate and monitor the positions of fire fighters and victims in fires, explosions, and other emergencies as well as to locate and diagnose fires. Further, there is a continuing need to be able to detect and track fire progress in a region being monitored.